Asian House Gecko

Hemidactylus frenatus

(from our Wildlife of Greater Brisbane, 2nd ed. 2007)

Identification

Head and body length: 6cm

Total length (including tail): 11cm

Pale pinkish-brown to dark grey, with mottled patterning. Individuals can vary appearance based on the level of physical activity and light exposure (dark with pattern by day; pale and patternless at night). At a distance the Asian House Gecko is very similar to the native Dtella, but can be distinguished by a series of small spines or tubercules along back and edges of tail (in its original state) and lower back.

All Asian House Gecko toes have claws, but the inner toes of Dtella, are clawless.

More readily identified by voice rather than appearance - a loud and distinctive "chuck-chuck-chuck".

Habitat

Originally a tree-living species, Asian House Geckoes now thrive in human dwellings and buildings, where their feeding strategy is greatly enhanced by lights that attract insects, and flat walls and ceilings upon which prey animals (insects etc.) are concentrated.

Distribution

Initially confined to the urban coastal regions of the Northern Territory and Far North Queensland, Asian House Geckos have shown amazing adaptability and resilience and are now distributed south to Tennant Creek (Northern Territory), west to roadhouses in the Great Sandy Desert and in all Queensland ports from Cooktown to the Gold Coast. They have also been recorded in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, and have been intercepted in cargo and caught in buildings on Norfolk Island. The species appears to be continuing its progression southward with individuals captured at Broken Head, NSW, in 2004 and a reliable report of an established population at Coffs Harbour.

Status

Common

Notes

Only introduced gecko in Australia. The Asian House Gecko is Australia's most successful invasive reptile.

Diet

Asian House Geckos are generalist predators, eating a large variety of prey, including insects, spiders and other small lizards.

Impacts

Once considered to be a benign invader limited to urban areas, recent studies have show that, as in other parts of their colonized range, Asian House Geckos have displaced native geckos from the house gecko niche and have spread into, and become established in considerable densities in, bushland habitat in the Northern Territory and in places such as Mon Repos Conservation Park in Queensland.

Reproductive cycle

Female Asian House Geckos lay two eggs approximately every four to six weeks. The large, white eggs are sometimes clearly visible through the body wall of a gravid female's underbelly. In the tropics, the geckos breed year-round, however in sub-tropical and more temperate areas their reproduction appears to take on a seasonal cycle and they do not breed during the winter.

While there are anecdotal reports that the Asian House Geckos may be parthenogenetic (not requiring males to breed), there is no scientific evidence to support this. However, experiments have shown that females have the capacity to store sperm for up to six weeks.

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